


Last Christmas

by Sorran



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Prank Wars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 03:32:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13022364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorran/pseuds/Sorran
Summary: Daryl's odd behaviour in the run up to Christmas is starting to worry Rick. What is the deal with his sudden aversion to any and all Christmas music?





	Last Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MermaidSheenaz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MermaidSheenaz/gifts).



> This is for [MermaidSheenaz](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MermaidSheenaz/pseuds/MermaidSheenaz). Thank you so much for the lovely Christmas gift, it made my month, and I will wear it with pride. Love you! <3

Rick was seriously beginning to worry about Daryl. It was mid December, and although Rick knew Christmas and the run up to it wasn't his partner's favourite time of year, he'd never seen Daryl go to quite such lengths to avoid being reminded of the impending holidays before. Daryl had been changing channels on the tv and radio as soon as a hint of Christmas music came on for about two weeks now, and going grocery shopping had become a rather stressful exercise what with Daryl practically running up and down the aisles in his haste to get out of the shop as quickly as possible, all the while muttering to himself. Rick was too busy dodging other shoppers while trying to keep up with him to really be able to understand any of it, but he thought he'd caught a “come on, come on, come on, still in, still in" once.

Today Daryl'd gone as far as shouting “Keep the change” at the cashier before sprinting for the doors, and Rick had had enough. He hurriedly collected their change - he was _not_ leaving the cashier a $23.47 tip, thank you very much - and the receipt, and followed Daryl out into the car park. 

By the time he got to their SUV Daryl was already stowing away the shopping. He was working quickly and efficiently, but didn't seem to be as frantic as he'd been in the shop anymore, so Rick let a little of his exasperation bleed through when he asked: 

“What’s the matter with ya?”

“Huh?” Daryl extricated himself from the SUV’s rear hatch and straightened up, giving Rick a quick look over his shoulder. “Whaddaya mean, what's a matter with me?” he asked, looking back and forth in between the shopping cart and the trunk, clearly trying to decide what to load next. 

“Your…” Rick flailed his arms. “Your Christmas hypersensitivity.”

“My what now?” Daryl squinted at him, then reached for a loaf of bread and a bunch of bananas from the cart. Instead of bagging their shopping _in the shop_ , he'd just thrown everything back into the cart and was now having to make sure nothing would get squished on the ride home. 

“You've been avoiding anything Christmasy since the beginning of the month”, Rick started to explain only to be interrupted by Daryl:

“That's not true. I went an’ got the tree with you an’ the kids last weekend, didn't I?”

“Ya sure did.” Rick smiled at the memory of Carl and Daryl squabbling over which tree to get only to be told by Judy that they were both wrong and that they were getting _this_ tree right here. 

“An’ we decorated it", Daryl pressed his point. 

Rick narrowed his eyes at him. “Decorated my ass", he grumbled, then complained: “I still have glitter in my beard.”

Daryl smirked, then glanced around before moving in to press a quick peck to Rick’s whiskers. “An’ what a hot glittery beard it is”, he drawled, withdrawing with a wink.

“I’ma still get ya back for that, Dixon.” Rick promised, undeterred. “Ya know that, right?” 

“Sure, sure", Daryl grinned and bent to haul a small pallet of milk cartons out of the shopping cart. They both knew Rick would never win their prank war, but it was equally clear Rick's pride would never allow him to back down, either, so Daryl supposed it couldn't hurt to check his shoes before putting them on for the next little while. 

Rick hoisted the last sack of potatoes into the trunk, and Daryl wheeled the now empty shopping cart back to the collection point.

“So if it isn't avoiding Christmas stuff and thangs, what are you doing?” Rick greeted him from the driver's seat when he returned to the SUV, slipping in on the passenger side. 

“Dunno what ya mean.” Daryl gave him a quizzical look from under his bangs as he buckled up. “What am I doing?”

The radio came on when Rick started the car, and Daryl's finger shot out to select a different channel after just a couple of notes.

“This!” Rick exclaimed in exasperation. “This is what yer doing! Ya can't leave the radio alone for one damn minute before ya change the channel. The tv, too. What is with that?”

“It's Whamageddon, man", Daryl said, as if that explained anything. “Me ‘n’ Merle are the only ones still in at the garage, an’ I sure as hell ain’t lettin’ ‘im win.”

“It's what?” Rick asked distractedly, turning in his seat to reverse the SUV out of the parking space.

“Whamageddon”, Daryl repeated. “Ya know, that godawful Christmas song they keep playin’ to death every damn year. _‘Last Cristmas, I gave you my heart’_ ", he started singing, demonstrating. “Ya hear it, yer out.”

Rick straightened the car and began to accelerate towards the car park exit. “What, ya mean this one?” he suddenly asked, a wolfish grin splitting his face as he turned up the radio. 

“ _... the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special._ "

“Sonofa _bitch_!" Daryl swore as Rick started howling with laughter.

“I'm gonna end ya, Grimes.”

**Author's Note:**

> For those not in the know, "Last Christmas" is a song by British band Wham that was released in 1984. It does get played to death at Christmas time every year, and Whamageddon is a thing, at least in the UK.
> 
> (See also [whamageddon.com](https://www.whamageddon.com).)
> 
> \- I'm out. ><( Heard it in a radio spot advertising a station that promises not to play it, of all things. Damnit.


End file.
